The Yes Men Fix the World

I moved to my new apartment with the idea of walking to all the movies. Wouldn’t you know that this week all the new films are a subway ride away? I call that irony.

I’m surprised that the two film makers, Andy Bichlbaum and Mike Bonanno did not land themselves in jail for their courageous and daring film. They are both very funny activists who set out to declare the evils of the big corporations and government. The attempt is very much like a Michael Moore film except that these men are never verbally abusive. They smile and state their case with such conviction you can’t help but love them. Their biggest hoax was in announcing that Dow Chemical was going to make reparation to the millions who suffered from the explosion in India. In doing this they brought to the attention once again the lack of resources provided to the area after the terrible disaster. The Dow stock tumbled immediately.

Whenever they are caught in a fraudulent diatribe they laugh and explain why they are doing it.

There is a lot of humor but of course underneath the laughs are serious issues.

Katrina devastated the New Orleans area. There is still so much work to be done and the government has not kept its promise to rebuild. Andy and Mike intervened in a conference. They pretended to be HUD officials and presented a blown up suit that would allow anyone inside to survive a disaster.

It was hilarious to watch the faces of the people in the audience. They didn’t know what to believe.

Andy and Mike printed a paper called The New York Times. They dated it in the future. Every article was positive and aimed at showing what could happen and should happen to fix the ills of the world. They handed the papers out on the street. Once again the average citizen didn’t know how to react.

Common people are interviewed throughout to give opinions on the antics of these two men. Many felt they were justified in bringing to the surface these critical issues. Many stated that even if it was a hoax it ended up being a positive action.

I learned a lot in this film. It was presented in an entertaining but thoughtful manner. The facts were not thrown at you but presented in a way that made you want to hear more.

I admire these men and congratulate them for being so creative and intelligent.